This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

The University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine | Nov 02, 2006

TUCSON, AZ … The University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine, in collaboration withthe Beth Israel/Albert Einstein Department of Family Medicine, is piloting a new BotanicalMedicine course for primary care residency programs.

The multi-site project is designed to test the feasibility and educational impact of incorporating aweb-based teaching module on botanical medicine into residency training.

“With the growing use of herbal medicine by patients, residents must be educated in their safeand effective use,” said Victoria Maizes, MD, Executive Director of the Program in IntegrativeMedicine. “Yet many medical schools and residency programs lack faculty with expertise in thisarea and so are unable to teach the subject. Botanical Medicine: A Primer for Physiciansaddresses this need.”

Fourteen residency programs around the nation in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and OBGYNresidencies have already signed up for the free program. Participating programs canincorporate the project into their own academic schedule; however the course is to beconsidered a requirement. Residencies slated to take part in the project include the Universityof Arizona Departments of Family Medicine and OBGYN; the Beth Israel Department of FamilyMedicine; the University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine; Stamford Hospital’sOBGYN, Family Medicine and Internal Medicine departments; the University of New Mexico;SUNY Upstate; the University of Texas; Tufts; Boston University; Carolina’s Health; and MaineMedical Center’s Family Medicine program.

The course development was led by Program in Integrative Medicine, Education DirectorTieraona Low Dog, MD. The online, interactive learning includes reviews of research articles,case histories and clinical challenges in botanical medicine. Upon completion of the module,residents will be able to discuss and recommend herbs, accurately read labels, accessresources, discern quality botanical research, and discuss and recommend appropriate herbsused for menopause.

The Program in Integrative Medicine defines Integrative Medicine as healing-orientedmedicine that takes account of the whole person (body, mind, and spirit), including allaspects of lifestyle. The mission of the Program in Integrative Medicine is to lead thetransformation of healthcare by creating, educating, and actively supporting a community ofprofessionals who embody the philosophy and practice of Integrative Medicine. For moreinformation on the University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine, please visit:www.integrativemedicine.arizona.edu.